A new Generation of James'
by safetywords
Summary: A new generation of James' are trying to protect their town from the RIR. But problems come into view when both brothers end up liking the same girl. Can you ever lose your feelings for someone at the snap of your finger? rr plz!
1. Prologue::

~Prologue~  
  
Everyone had always known Jesse James as the biggest outlaw in the west. He could pull his gun from the hoister and shoot before someone even had the chance to blink. With not doubt, he had become the most well known outlaw ever but no one knew the secret he held from the world that had come to love him. It was that secret that would destroy his son, Benjamin Jesse James, from leading a typical life as much as possible.  
  
About two years ago, Jesse and his wife Zee had their second child, named Cole after Jesse's dear friend. After the James-Younger gang returned the house deeds to the citizens of Liberty Missouri they split up to enjoy their lives. Cole currently was dating a girl he had met at the saloon, Bob was happily married with a woman named Patricia, and Jesse's brother Frank was living with Zee and Jesse. His last relationship had ended on a sour note, and all he's been doing is sitting on his butt, smoking his pipe and life away.  
  
Meanwhile, Thaddeus Rains had disappeared far off the radar of the crew as they kept a close watch off. But, after a few years things quieted down and everyone got used to the small life, tending to their ranches and protecting their land. Now, every now and then there was a disturbance with a drunk, but there weren't much of a problem anymore.  
  
Well, there wasn't much of a problem until eight-year-old Benjamin discovered the very infamous secret of his father, causing some unwanted trouble with some of the locals. But, no one in Liberty, Missouri was prepared for the fracas that was about to happen. It had seemed that Thaddeus Rains grandson wanted to keep up the tradition of the Rock Island Railroad. Leaving the future of Liberty to Benjamin James as an eighteen- year-old teen. It had been found out that a new railroad line was going to be built, forcing Benjamin to step up to the plate and defend everything right .... but with a new war brewing, Benjamin realized that he might have to form his own outlaw group with his closest friends.  
  
Knowing of the difficult task he was about to face, Benjamin and Cole began starting their gang off at a young age, thinking that the whole thing was a game, when in reality it was a lot more serious than a game. It was up to the new generation of James's to protect the citizens of Liberty from loosing their homes again.  
  
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I'm sure you think this is really short and pointless but I wanted to give a bit of background information. The future chapters will probably be very long as I work hard to make this story one of my best works here. If you read, please review and give me any advice, opinions, or make some guesses as to what you think will happen.  
  
Crazed and Dazed 


	2. Chapter One:: And it starts over ::

Chapter One  
  
Benjamin awoke to the rude echo of their rooster. Rolling over in his bed, he opened his eyes to focus on the room he was in and felt revolted. Ever though his father, Jesse, was a famous person in the community it didn't bring his family any more benefits than that. Poor Benjamin was typically taking care of Zee, his mother, and his little brother Cole who was two years younger. Normally his father was off trying to provide his family with the daily essentials but later he had been over at Doc's because of a back pain that had reoccurred from all the years of lifting heavy farm equipment.  
  
Getting dressed, he put his suspenders on and walked towards the other end of the room to grab his boots. Smiling, he put them on and headed downstairs to have breakfast with his parents, brother Cole, and Jesse's other friends from the James- Younger gang. In this house Benjamin felt so at home, growing up as a seventeen- year- old boy soon to be eighteen. But the long, dark months of winter were soon to be over as the first peak of spring began to show. No one would have ever realized that a small town such as Liberty went through such a tough past every single day of their lives. As Benjamin seated himself beside his father, he cleared his throat and decided to make small conversation.  
  
"How is everyone on this fine, February morning?" he asked, taking a glimpse at everyone at the table. For a moment, they became rather silent not allowing themselves to tell Benjamin of the recently found news. When he was eight-years-old, the tale was supposed to just be a mere joke to scare the happy people of Liberty.  
  
Zee decided to speak up. "Oh dear boy. We didn't want to tell you this but it has been brought to our attention that the Rock Island Railroad is passing through Liberty trying to take our deeds. It seems as if the past is starting up again," his mother answered, nervously looking at her youngest son and then up at Jesse.  
  
"Don't worry Zee, we'll take care of everything," Jesse supplied, looking at his friends. Out of the whole group of the James- Younger gang, Jesse was the youngest but only by a few years. Cole was second youngest. But Jesse knew that his friends didn't have the strength to try and defeat Rains grandson. He had to rely on his son and teach him everything he knew about fighting and protecting what was right. "Ben, Cole, come with me," Jesse's raspy voice called out. "We need to talk."  
  
The boys eagerly left the breakfast table, excusing themselves from their mother and hurried out the door to follow their father. In all honesty, those two boys had no clue what they were going to have to do. Much of their fathers past had been kept hush-hush for the safety in having it happen again. No one really believed that the past was starting up again. Rains grandson must have had a grudge against Jesse and weren't allowing to let it go. After all, everyone who didn't like Jesse James was either trying to kill him or make him suffer. The 'real' outlaws mission was to become more popular than Jesse by brutally murdering him.  
  
As Cole and Benjamin approached their father, who was sitting and watching the horses graze beyond the fence, they quietly sat down on the ground beside Jesse awaiting further instructions. They were willing to do anything to keep their house they had worked so hard for. That was how the brothers were brought up. To protect what was rightfully theirs. Breathing in the cold air, Jesse spoke in a soft yet comforting voice. He knew it was up to his boys to keep their home. Most likely Pinkerton was still alive and attempting to get that railroad up and running. Rains and Pinkerton had to be stopped for the future of this town. A railroad just couldn't be built.  
  
Grabbing a small handful of dirt into his right hand, Jesse watched as it slowly sifted through his fingers. For so long of his life he had tried to keep what had happened twenty years ago from happening again. Jesse was now fourty five years old and signs of arthritis had already begun to show. It was all up to his sons. Releasing a long held breath, he spoke up. "Guys, I think its time to clue you in all about what your pa did when he was only a little younger than you two." In a kind, courteous manner, Jesse told his only two sons the tale of how he was the biggest outlaw to date and how he had stopped Thaddeus Rains from building a railroad through the town of Liberty. His sons listened in awe, as he explained the journey even mentioning how he met Zee so many fine years ago.  
  
When Jesse finished telling his life story he turned to look his eldest son, Benjamin, face to face. If only he wouldn't have seen the hurt and disappointment on Benjamin's face. He felt bad for not telling his son(s) the whole story but it was one of those times where you have to wait for the perfect moment. All Jesse wanted was for his kids to grow up normally, leading a happy life without the fear and constant boasting that they were the flesh and blood of the famous Jesse James. He had his so-called reasons to keep things about his past from Benjamin and Cole but sometimes it felt as if he had betrayed them to an extent.  
  
Ben shifted from his spot on the ground and wiped the dirt off of his pants as he turned to gaze at his father once more. "But why?" Ben questioned, in the tone of voice that showed Jesse that his son didn't understand why being famous was such a secret.  
  
Jesse thought for a few moments before he spoke. When word came that Zee was pregnant and he'd have his first child, he begged everyone in town to keep the fame of 'Jesse James' to themselves. He almost was asking that they'd just forget he was a hero and treat him as though he was a normal guy. And by all means Jesse James was one of the most normal type guys in all of Missouri. He did a lot of daily activities a bit differently and had obviously showed signs of a soft side popping through. Could it be true? Was Jesse James growing soft?  
  
"Son, I didn't think you were ready to hear what I just told you. Was it so wrong for your father to want you to lead a normal life?" Jesse asked, grabbing his son by the arm and pulling him along to show him some more history. Hesitantly, Benjamin followed his father with Cole only a few short steps behind. Approaching the back porch, Jesse called Benjamin over to his side. "Son, I need you to pull up this loose floorboard."  
  
Benjamin nodded his head in affirmation as he yanked up the loose floorboard. "Ok," Benjamin calmly answered. "Now what."  
  
"There is a box underneath about four inches of dirt. Dig around until you find it and pull it out," Jesse responded, sitting on the porch so he could catch his breath. Old age was starting to take toll on him. Especially since most men only lived to be about fifty if they were lucky. Clearing his throat, he closed his eyes for a few minutes as he reminisced the past twenty years of his life. Jesse was quite a lucky man to have the family and wife he did. Smiling, Benjamin dug through the dirt until he found the book and pulled it out of the whole. Then he set it beside his father and waited for further instruction.  
  
"Go on. Open it up," Jesse urged.  
  
Carefully, Benjamin opened the box to come face to face with his father's guns. Immediately, he went to grab one and get the feel of a gun but his father quickly pulled him back. "Ben, you aren't ready yet. You need to learn how to shoot a gun properly."  
  
Benjamin looked at his father sadly. Here, he was at the age of eighteen years and his father wouldn't allow him to operate a gun. Mostly everyone who lived in the West knew how to operate a gun but the James boys. Most days the kids their age were interested in making Benjamin and Cole feel unworthy. But, now, they had a reason to prove everyone wrong but first they had to learn to shoot a gun. "When can we start pa?" Cole asked, speaking up for his nearly speechless brother.  
  
"Soon, son. Very soon son." Jesse ruffled Cole's hair as he slowly got up with his hand on his back. It was no doubt in Jesse's mind that he was going to need help. He was barely capable of standing. But he didn't want to make his children go through the same thing. There was a voice in the back of Jesse's head that told him that Benjamin was a grown man and that he would soon be ready to lead a life of his own. Not wanting to accept the future, he grabbed the box of guns and headed back inside to have breakfast with Loni, Cole, Frank, and Bob.  
  
~*~  
  
Ben and Cole sat outside unwilling to go back to breakfast. All that was on their mind was to please their father and make him proud of his sons. They knew this task was going to be quite a difficult one. Learning to operate a gun wasn't easy when you knew absolutely nothing about one. The two brothers decided to enjoy a small conversation; maybe Ben and Cole would have a plan to stop Rains.  
  
"Any ideas, Ben?" Cole asked his older brother as he stood up and looked out into the distance to see a bunch of guys on horses coming in their direction.  
  
"No. But I think we should get pa for the time being. It looks like we have some intruders." Cole nodded as his older brother went running into the house to get his father. Benjamin hated to disrupt his father but they were teenage boys and their father knew best. "Pa," Ben called, breathing heavily. "Some men are- are," he took a breath as he stuttered for the rest of his sentence to come out.  
  
"What? Boy, spit it out," his father roared, worried about what Ben was about to say.  
  
"Some are on horses and heading for the ranch. I think it has something to do with that story you told Cole and I, pa," Ben answered hesitantly watching as the men's facial expressions turned to one of pure disgust and anger.  
  
"Let's get out there boys. We have some new generations of Rock Island Railroads to deal with," Jesse's firm voice called out, still rather raspy from his recent cold.  
  
All of the men nodded their heads. Ben was about to go outside when Zee grabbed him by the arm. She looked worried about what was about to happen. After all, when Ben was younger, Jesse had told him that his mother had died very cruelly. But it was never more or less than that. "Ma, are we in trouble?" Ben asked, his soft brown eyes glowing.  
  
"No Ben. It just looks like we'll be fighting to keep the railroad away again. I guess that's why your father wants to train you. He was in the war so long ago so he should still be of great help even if he isn't in the greatest shape. And poor Doc. That man is practically on his death bed. I don't know how long my father will live," Zee answered dully.  
  
Turning to face his mother, he pulled her into a hug. "I love you ma. Everything will be all right."  
  
Zee smiled at her son and tightened her grip around him. "Now, you go out there and help out your father, his friends, and your little brother." Ben nodded his head and ran out to the porch as the men in very fine suits stopped their horses a mere few feet away from the house.  
  
"It looks like I have the opportunity of meeting the famous Jesse James. Too bad you won't be able to stop the RIR (Rock Island Railroad) this time around," the man cackled.  
  
"Really? Oh and who may I owe the pleasure of disagreeing with?" Jesse growled, gripping his hand on his gun.  
  
"Oh the name is William Pinkerton. I'm sure you knew my father. Isn't it nice to have no way out of this, Jesse? I fear you're too old to go out with your James- Younger gang. You may want to consider in just leaving Missouri." William smiled and was about to turn around when Ben and Cole stuck up.  
  
"Well our father may not be capable of it, but I'm sure we are," Benjamin yelled, putting a hand on Cole's right shoulder.  
  
"Little boys, I don't think that's a good idea. Who are you anyway?"  
  
"Benjamin and Cole James," Cole answered bitterly as his brother and himself bowed before Pinkerton.  
  
Pinkerton snorted. "Well, boys. We'll see what happens. I'll be dropping a notice of when RIR will be building their lovely railroad through here."  
  
"Yeah, we'll see," Ben retorted.  
  
Pinkerton and the men on the horses turned around and took off before a fight could even begin. Everyone was hotheaded and definitely not in the mood to have to deal with this but the James boys were all Liberty had left. They would have to step up and be men about this.  
  
"When can we practice, pa?" Cole asked.  
  
Jesse let out a nasty cough. "Later. I'm not feeling so well," he answered clinging onto the porch banister to get up the steps. His two children sent him wary glances as he walked in the house. Their father was sick and the only way they'd learn how to operate a gun was by themselves. It was time they stopped depending on Jesse who was obviously in no state to be used and talked to. Ben and Cole took off into town meanwhile. They had to gather some of their closest friends.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
This is a sample of how the chapters will look. I plan on making next chapter longer. If you enjoy, then please review because I may not update for a while. And thanks to the first review I received! It is very appreciated. Please review with your opinions, comments, criticism, and anything else you can support me with. Thanks. Crazed and Dazed 


	3. Chapter Two ::Amelia and Matthew?::

A/n: Ok. Well I'm not getting many reviews with this but I guess I'll still continue because I really like where I'm going with this. Thanks for the reviews I got. I appreciate them, a lot. So, I'm going to try Pov's but only with Benjamin and Cole until the new characters really come into the story. Please review at the end.  
  
Chapter two ::Amelia and Matthew?::  
  
|| Benjamin's POV ||  
  
I started running towards the horses, hoping that Cole would follow me close behind and understand that we had to find our closest group of friends to keep Liberty unchanged. Even though I knew it could backfire, I needed to know who would support us. Over the long, hard, and grueling years, Liberty had become a much more stable and friendlier environment. Crime had slowed down and life was pretty much average until Pinkerton's son and Thaddeus Rain's grandson came into the picture. All they were trying to do was start more trouble.  
  
Jumping onto the horse bare back, I turned my head at an angle to see my little brother struggling to get up onto the horse. Father never had the chance to teach Cole, resulting in him having a hard time catching onto things that were just a normal, everyday task for me. Sighing, I nudged my horse over towards Cole and I grabbed him from under the arms and hoisted him onto the horse. Cole was getting bigger, I could only thank the good lord that I was still strong enough to pick him up.  
  
"Thanks," Cole mumbled sheepishly.  
  
"No problem, little brother. Let's get going." He nodded his head and we quietly rode towards the town at a rapid pace, knowing that there was no more time we could waste. The future of this town was in our hands. . . and it felt so wrong. Children were in charge of what happened; then there were most people who mocked us for being James'. They were just jealous.  
  
Approaching town, I noticed that a group of people were out, surrounding some type of gathering. Slowly, we circled the buildings until I got a glimpse of what was going on. Another man was being hanged. I cursed under my breath in disgust. Why were they starting hanging again? Getting off the horse, I saw a few of my buddies sitting on the steps to the oldest saloon in town.  
  
"Adam, what's going on?" I whispered, darting my eyes around nervously so the others wouldn't hear what we were saying.  
  
"They are hanging another man. They say he got in contact with Thaddeus's relatives and told them to move on and build that railroad through Liberty. As I've heard, the man's been said to have been supplying them with information for quite a few years. It's bad, really bad Ben." Adam shook his head and took out a rag to clean his gun that got dirtied from messing around earlier.  
  
"Shit. Man, can you do me a favor?" I asked, praying that Adam would help me out even after how dim things were looking.  
  
He shook his head. "I might. You tell me what you need and I'll tell you if I can help."  
  
"I need to get a bunch of us together to stop Pinkerton and Rains. They are going to take over Liberty and I would ask my father to handle this but it seems his really sick again. What do you say? Can you get some of our buddies together so we can work on a plan back at my house?"  
  
It suddenly grew quiet; Adam's eyes were wide open.  
  
"Boy!" someone shouted. "Shut your mouth. Respect the dead, young man." I swallowed the lump in my throat. I had nearly forgotten all about that. Now I had drawn more attention to myself than necessary. Then, out of nowhere, Cole stood behind me and defended me.  
  
"Sir, it was an accident. Benjamin had some very important business he needed to take care of. May we please be excused from here?"  
  
The old man looked down on us, harshly. For the first few minutes, I thought we were going to be hanged next for disturbing the rules of staying quiet after someone's death for a moment. But, then, he shook his hand and told us 'little boys' to go off and play and to be good kids. I probably would have retorted at that moment but I knew it was completely unnecessary.  
  
Sitting near our horses away from the gathering, I noticed five other young lads come in our direction. A short, chubby one spoke up. "Adam says you need our help. At your assistance." The chubby boy bowed, losing his balance and landing flat on his face.  
  
I nearly chuckled out loud. "Are you ok?"  
  
He nodded. Good. We didn't need anymore attention brought to this little meeting we were having. "Thaddeus and Pinkerton are trying to build railroads through here again. They say that they won't stop to get it done and they are even willing to kill. I would ask our father to help out, but he got really sick earlier and it seems to me that we're on our own."  
  
"So, what do you want us to do?" a tall one asked, probably a few years older than me.  
  
"Good question. But, I'm not quite sure what our plan of attack is yet. Meet me back at my house in a few hours and we can straighten out all of the details and train some of your guys who really don't know how to handle a weapon. We have a lot to get done today." I cleared my throat and turned around to face Cole. "Hey, we got to go. Ma will get worried if we're not home soon.  
  
Cole nodded his head weakly. "Sure Ben."  
  
As we took off, I felt oddly relieved to know that we probably had a few men- well boys that were capable of stopping this. Sure, being children made it a lot harder to be seen as curious, but we had Jesse James and nothing could match up to that. Plus, the rest of the original 'James Younger Gang'. After five minutes, I noticed that the sun was starting to set and that we had to get back home very soon for supper or we'd be facing a whole months worth of chores that were disgusting, and just plain old revolting.  
  
It was silent, just so incredibly silent.  
  
"Ben. . ." Cole trailed off, slightly falling behind.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"What are our chances of successfully being Thaddeus this time around?"  
  
I let out the breath I was holding. "Slim to none, probably. But that doesn't mean we give up Cole. It is up to us to change those odds." He nodded his head in affirmation. "Anything else?"  
  
"Yeah, I saw this really pretty girl looking at you in town," he answered shyly, "and she even blushed when I waved to her. Such a pretty girl, Ben."  
  
"Stop sounding so sappy, Cole. We can't worry about girls now, you should know that," I answered sternly.  
  
"Fine."  
  
We were followed by silence again. I didn't like to cut Cole off and make him sound like I was such a brute but girls were the least of our concerns right now. We had so much work to get done tonight and over the next few days. I didn't even know if were capable of becoming as good as my fathers gang. We were absolutely nothing like them, and they were all in their twenties and early thirties. They were men taking on other men and we were boys taking on other men. Did anyone see the problem I was faced with? Suddenly, I groaned and continued to ride towards the sunset. Cole didn't even attempt to talk to me and it only destroyed me inside.  
  
|| Cole's POV ||  
  
Don't get me wrong, I look up to Ben and he was my role model and everything but he seemed so energy drained lately. Was he getting much sleep? I was his concerned little brother, wondering why he suddenly didn't care about girls at all. Ben always cared about what girls thought because he knew that his time to get married was running out, even though he wouldn't quite tell me the circumstances to that dilemma. As his younger brother, I wasn't about to give up because I knew this girl had been fancying him for a long time but Ben showed absolutely no interest.  
  
Pretty soon, I found that I was falling behind considerably and Ben didn't even seem to notice. Why was he like this? One minute he seemed like he cared and the next moment he was a completely different person, which struck me as odd because that definitely wasn't his personality. It was as if something was eating him up. . . I just felt so worthless and useless.  
  
BOOM!  
  
I heard a loud noise in the distance to hear something go off. It was so loud and powerful that it shook the ground from beneath us, the horses neighed in fright and threw me off the horse before I could even clutch to the rains. After a few more booms, it sounded like it was slightly going away and I thought I was going to pass out until Ben ran towards me and sat me up.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, frantically searching the surroundings for some sort of explanation to such a boom.  
  
"I think," I groaned, grabbing my head. As I pulled my hand away, I saw blood coated on my hand. I must have cut my head open from the fall or on a rock. That was not how things were supposed to go! I mumbled a few words incoherently until Ben shook me violently and picked me up into his arms.  
  
"Let me down! I'm not a baby!" I hollered, trying to squirm out of his grasp.  
  
"Shh," he whispered. "There are men pretty close. I have a feeling this has something to do with that damn railroad," Ben cursed. Lately, he seemed to be using a lot of improper language; at least he wasn't using it around girls since that had been forbidden in Liberty for about five years now. Ben carried me behind a bush and sat me down. "Here's my handkerchief. Hold this to your head to stop the bleeding."  
  
I nodded my head, knowing that Ben wanted me to stay silent. "Are we going to die?" I croaked, ten minutes later. "It's dark out and I'm sure Ma is awfully worried, Ben.  
  
"Yes, I'm sure she is. . . but we can't worry about that right now if we want to get out of here alive. Just follow my footsteps and we can make it to Amelia's house for the night."  
  
I coughed and stopped in my tracks. Did he say what I thought he did? But, why Amelia's house? That girl absolutely despised us because we were far more well known in the town than her family. Especially since she had only lived around here for about a year. Ben's whole idea was destined for doom. How did he expect Amelia to welcome us into her home with open arms? She was revolted by my looks, always have a cocky attitude like a girl. Amelia even dressed like a guy sometimes! What did Ben want with her?  
  
"Are you insane?" I whispered angrily. "She could be mistaken for a guy and she hates us on top of that. How do you plan to make this work?"  
  
Ben just cracked up and patted me on the back. "Amelia owes me a favor." And that was it. Those were the only five words out of his mouth on the thirty minute walk to her house, even through my protests and various questions. He'd just stop and turn around, shooting me angry and frustrated looks. I knew I was getting annoying by the glances he shot at me. The best I could do in this situation was just keep my big, fat closed and out of a conversation for once.  
  
After all, the whole town thought I should win an award for most talkative person ever in Liberty. How lame! Soon after, my feet were beginning to drag and I could barely walk anymore. "Ben, I'm not used to walking so much. my head hearts. Bam! I collapsed to the ground, barely able to keep my eyes open.  
  
|| Ben ||  
  
Once I heard that thud, I ran towards my brother and did my best to keep him awake. I think the blood loss was actually starting to affect him worse than I had previously assumed. . . and. . . Amelia- well, her house was so close and I couldn't give up for the sake of Cole. He was my only brother and my father taught me to never leave the wounded behind, even if you are sure that you won't make it out alive. As I hoisted him over my shoulder, I could hear the galloping of horses in the slight distance. It had seemed that they were catching up a lot faster than I had thought.  
  
"Let's go buddy," I whispered, hoping I could make it for three more minutes. Her house was in sight but I didn't want to start running in fear that my legs would give up and I'd pummel to the ground, killing us both. I was pretty sure that we were being followed when we left town, I had been trying to ignore it and not say anything so I wouldn't frighten Cole. Those men couldn't know what we knew.  
  
Finally. I breathed a sigh of relief as I reached her door. Setting Cole softly down onto the porch, I knocked the door and waited patiently for someone to answer. I knew that it was awfully disrespectful of me to disturb people at such a late hour, but Cole needed medical attention and I just needed some rest and a way to get in contact with my parents. They had to be worried sick.  
  
Soon, a man emerged with a shot gun in his hand. "Pinkerton, if that is you again, I swear I'll blow your head off. I told ya that I'm not selling this land!"  
  
I worked up my courage to speak. "No sir. This is Ben James and I'm here with my brother Cole James. Please, sir its an emergency. Can you let us in?" I heard shuffling behind the door and then it swung open.  
  
"Boy, what are ya doing all the way out here?"  
  
"We were being followed. Then, a couple of huge booms went off, scaring our horses and it threw my brother off and he got hurt, unlike me. Can you try and help him and I'll tell you anything you want?" I begged, sounding so pathetic in the process.  
  
The man coughed a few times. Then he closed the door and began talking quietly to another person as I stood there anxiously with my brother seriously hurt. I was about to interrupt his little chat when he finally opened up the door and let us enter.  
  
"You give Amelia any trouble and your gone!"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
He showed me up to an extra room and let me get situated. "I'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
I nodded my head, "yes sir."  
  
He chuckled. "Boy, you don't need those stupid formalities with me. I'm Amelia's older brother and I don't think I need you calling me 'sir.' I'm sure you look around my age."  
  
"Yeah," I choked out, wondering how my little brother was doing. Everything had gone so wrong and I had gotten him into more trouble than I wanted him in. He was truly a good kid. Cole didn't deserve to be near death. Finally, I told Amelia's brother what was on my mind. "I've got to get to my parents. My pa is going to have a heart attack in his position. Do you have a horse I can borrow?"  
  
He stood there, looking down on me with a strange smile that I couldn't quite tell what the expression was on his face. When I actually thought he was going to say anything, he just shook his head at me. "We'll get them in the morning. I'll send the word with one of my workers on his way home. But, where's the fire at?"  
  
I shook my head. "My friends and I are forming are gang tonight but they are probably at my house right now worrying my parents even worse than before. Gosh, its not my fault that Pinkerton and his crazy men are trying to take us out before history repeats again and-  
  
"James? Are you Jesse James son?" he asked in awe.  
  
"Yes, but if we don't stop Pinkerton then our lives and homes are in jeopardy again!"  
  
I took a deep breath and looked up at the man standing in front of me. He seemed to be awe- struck with the fact that I'm Jesse James son. Really, I didn't exactly understand quite what the big deal was. Nobody really talked about the past anymore and nobody cared.  
  
"If you are up to stop Rains and Pinkerton then you can count me in!" He came and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm Matthew. Amelia's oldest and only guardian."  
  
I shook his hand firmly. "What about your parents?" I asked, careful not to upset Matthew too much.  
  
"Dead," he answered coldly. "That man they hung back then, well that was my father and my mother died giving birth to Amelia. Our grandparents live down in Texas so there isn't much of a chance of me sending my dear Amelia all the way down in the hands of strangers. It would take months just to get down there."  
  
I sat there quietly; it was finally clear why Amelia wasn't much of a talker when we were in school. I guess I had always thought she was too stuck up and snobby . . . never truly judging on her personality. I was turning into a cruel and heartless being. And I felt so disappointed with myself.  
  
"Hey. Just get some sleep and we can talk in the morning." I nodded my head and Matthew blew out the candles and closed the door.  
  
|| Cole ||  
  
I remembered falling off my horse and hitting my head on some sharp object, but the rest was a complete blur after that. Where was I? I shot up out of the bed I was in, scurrying to the door as I heard small talk going on in another room. My head was pounding in agony but I needed to get out of here. Then, all of the noise stopped as someone came knocking on the door. Quietly, I ran back to the bed and buried myself under the warm covers. They couldn't know that I was spying; I was just curious.  
  
A few minutes later, the door slowly came creaking open. That was when I saw the most beautiful thing ever. Completely blowing my cover I whispered, "An angel." She seemed a bit startled at first but then she came to sit in the rocking chair.  
  
"Hi Cole."  
  
How did she know my name?  
  
"How do you know my name?" I asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Amelia's told me a lot. I just know a lot about you. Don't you remember me, Cole," she teased in the darkness.  
  
Trying to figure out who she was, I closed my eyes and envisioned every girl I had ever come in contact with and that's when I knew who she was. She was that girl that I thought was staring at Ben! "But- but weren't you looking at Ben?"  
  
"No silly. I was looking at you. Besides, Ben isn't my type."  
  
"Your type?" I gulped nervously. I never knew girls had such preferences with men.  
  
"Yeah, but I don't want to bug you now Cole. You need your rest. Oh, and I got in contact with your parents. They seemed awfully worried at first but then they called down considerably and let me leave the house. You have amazing friends and family," she cooed.  
  
I rolled my eyes. Sure, this girl was pretty but she was starting to annoy me now. She was openly hitting on me! I despised girls that chased men. It was up to the men to chase girls, well that's what Uncle Cole had told me. Sighing, I mumbled to the girl that I was tired and I pretended to be asleep. As I thought she was about to go to sleep, she kissed me on the forehead. I did my best to keep a straight face.  
  
As soon as she left the room, I rubbed her saliva off of my forehead with a cloth of some sort. Boy, today was not turning out like I had imagined it to. That girl had gotten way too close to me. And like Ben had said, there was no time for girls.  
  
From all the thinking, I slowly fell asleep, only wondering what tomorrow was going to bring.  
  
|| Amelia ||  
  
I was disgusted when I opened the door and Molly Harris came barreling in and cooing about her boyfriend being hurt. At first, I thought she had meant Benjamin but then she started going off on Cole. But, the real odd part was that no one could have possibly known about him being hurt unless she was following him. I wouldn't doubt that she has something to do with the railroad.  
  
Once I let her in, I showed her to the room but I got Matthew and I started spilling out how strange things were. That's when he told me what Benjamin's last name was. He was a James! How did I not know that? Sure, I knew he was an excellent student but the teacher never cared to ask our last names. Now, I was embarrassed to have him in my house. Was it good enough for famous Jesse James son?  
  
I started to hyperventilate, but Matthew wrapped me in a hug and told me that Benjamin didn't care about money and the way people lived. He was a down to earth guy. But, how could I believe that? Most men I knew were revolting and just itching to touch me in ways I didn't want them to. After that one mishap, Matthew has never let me go anywhere and I mean anywhere alone. Too many drunks live in this town.  
  
Matthew told me to go to bed but I didn't want to. I wanted to talk to Benjamin and let him tell me a story about his father, the real story. See, every different person had their own way to say how the Jesse James story went, but I had his own flesh and blood in my house. Maybe, just maybe, I would know the whole and complete story of the most famous outlaw 'Jesse James'.  
  
Once Matthew went off to bed and Molly left my house, I walked down the short and narrow hallway to the room Benjamin was staying. Reaching for the doorknob, I opened it hesitantly only to be dragged into the room with a hand over my mouth. When I thought the person was about to kill me, they released me and ungracefully walked back towards his bed.  
  
That's when I really heard him speak for the first time. "Ya know Amelia, you shouldn't sneak up on people like that."  
  
When he said my name, it sent chills down my spine. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how you were doing and if you were awake before I went to bed."  
  
"You don't have to take care of me, I'm not a guy who's going to make you wait on me with hand and foot. But, I'm glad you were concerned and nice enough to check up on me. Next time, please knock. I've been brought up that if you think your life is threatened, to take action. You are just very lucky I knew the scent of your perfume."  
  
I laughed into the stiff air.  
  
"But, now anyone can sense Molly Harris's perfume. That women is such a disgrace to the female species. I know she came to see my brother. Did you catch her saying anything?" he asked.  
  
I almost went 'awe' at how cute he looked with that expression on his face. He really was good at everything without even barely trying. I just wanted to wrap him in my arms and never let go. Wait! I couldn't think like that.  
  
"No," I answered quickly. "She just wanted to see Cole and talk to him. She was talking way too soft for me to eavesdrop-  
  
"So you're an eavesdropper," he drawled, seductively.  
  
"Well- to an extent, yes."  
  
That would come in handy. "If I paid you, would you mind doing some small work for me that requires you in just using your ear?"  
  
He had truly touched me with his words. He wanted my help! "You want my help?" I croaked.  
  
"Any outlaw needs to know what he's faced with." He winked and got off the bed, slowly heading in my direction. I thought he was going to kiss me because I felt his breath on my neck, but he only lifted my necklace into the light. "This is beautiful. Where did you get this?"  
  
"Matthew said it was my mom's. Then, he gave it to me." I knew I was skipping a lot of details but there truly wasn't much I could say to him. I didn't know him that well.  
  
"I know," he answered quietly, letting go on the necklace.  
  
"Oh. I got to go. I need some sleep." I turned around only for him to grab my wrist.  
  
"Goodnight Amelia." He kissed me on the cheek and I flushed in embarrassment.  
  
"Goodnight Ben." I walked out of the room, heading in the direction of my bed. Tonight was going to be a good night, a very good one indeed.  
  
A/n: I normally don't like putting these in here, but my next update will probably be in mid November. See, I am moving into a new house in about two weeks, so I have a little time to write the next chapter but after that, I have to get a different internet provider (the one I have really sucks) and then I have to set up the computer. Hopefully, you won't have to wait too long. I promise to try and get it up quickly. Thanks. 


	4. Chapter Three ::A little problem::

A/n: I'm so sorry for neglecting this. I just lost all inspiration and I couldn't find out what I wanted to do, so this is a short chapter until I get my feet back on the ground. Please review. Thank you. Crazed and Dazed.

Ben

When I woke up the next morning, all I had in my head was sweet Amelia, and how she seemed to show some sort of interest in my. She was a pretty girl, so there was no doubt that I felt some sort of attraction towards her, and it deathly scared me because I hadn't had a girlfriend in my entire life. Rolling over in the bed, the sound of people talking in the other room caught my interest. Cautiously, I tip-toed through the room, and pressed my ear to the door.

"Amelia," I heard Matthew reprimand. "That's too risky. Don't."

"But!" she protested. "Matthew, please let me explain."

He said some sort of crude comment causing Amelia to burst into tears and I heard her run off, crying. Anger coursed through my veins as I opened up the door, and literally flew at Matthew, but somehow, I managed to hold my ground and just stare him down.

"What was that all about?" I whispered harshly.

"Nothing that concerns you."

I didn't understand this. Matthew had changed so much from yesterday. What had happened to him? Unsure of what to say or do, I took a seat beside him, never taking my gaze off of him. My heart was beating out of my chest and I didn't like that he would yell at his sister. Men weren't supposed to act in such an absurd way.

"Listen, I know you said something to upset Amelia. What did she want?" I knew that I was overstepping my boundaries, but I wanted to know what had happened for everyone to be in such a bad mood. Bitterly, I stood up, hovering over Matthew. He seemed to resist me every single time. Apparently he didn't want me to know. Taking a deep breath, I brushed past him and walked over towards Amelia's door.

"Amelia," I trailed off. "Please open the door."

At my voice, she only sobbed harder and mumbled a 'leave me alone.' Dejectedly, I walked out into the living space and took a seat. I could tell that Cole and I had overstayed our welcome. Rubbing my chin, I grabbed my guns and decided to take a little target practice outside with some old bottles. I needed some time to myself.

Cole

Bliss. It was the only word to describe quite how I was feeling when I woke up. My mind trailed off to the thoughts of Amelia and how truly beautiful she was. Excited, I threw the covers off myself, knowing that today I'd round up the rest of the crew, and hunt for Pinkerton and Rain's son. Butterflies danced in my stomach, causing me to feel lightheaded for a moment.

"Whoa," I mumbled as I ran into the door. Laughing at myself, I threw open the door, surprised to be greeted with quietness. What had gone on? Curiously, I walked towards Matthew who was sitting at the table, a forlorn look on his face. Something wasn't right; I could tell by the sad look in his eyes.

"Thinking about your father?" I asked softly.

He simply nodded his head. "Amelia and I got into an argument. I don't want her to leave. She has to stay with me, Cole. I promised my father that I'd never keep my eyes off her. You just don't understand," he muttered, looking out the window.

"Where would Amelia be going?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, she wanted to go with you and Ben, but I won't allow it......" he confirmed sadly. "I've realized something this morning and I can't let her deal with the heartache of it all. My sister deserves better," he rambled, never caring what he said or how much he relayed to me. Interested, I tried to keep my opinions of the matter out because Amelia wasn't the main concern. I had to save my family. Missouri was looking up to my brother and I; we were the only ones who could keep the Rock Island Railroad from trying to steal our town again.

"What are you talking about, Matt? Why would Amelia get hurt if she came with us, who I wouldn't allow anyway......?" I really tried to define what he meant by his sister getting hurt, but I couldn't come up with anything. Rubbing my eyes, I yawned, and patiently waited for him to say something, anything at all.

"Are you really that blind? Ben likes Amelia. You 'like' Amelia too! Do you see a problem here?"

A bit thrown back from his statement, I tried to object to his statement, but it was true. In a sense, Amelia was a pretty girl, who was so different from most girls this day and age. Sighing, I covered my face with my hands. "We don't have to worry bout this. I'd do anything for Ben and Amelia, so I'll back off, Matt." Feeling a bit down, I was proud that I was able to do the right thing. The last thing I needed was a girl in my life to mess things up with our scheme. Besides, she showed more of an interest with my brother anyway.

Matt smiled. "I think I can deal with that, but it wouldn't be safe to drag Amelia along without me."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" I asked, a bit happy that things had turned out.

"Sure, Cole. I'm going to help you out. Amelia will come along. She can handle a gun, and she can be a vital part of our plan by wooing the men we want to kill. It actually would work out very well."

"Great." I smiled widely, thrilled, and looking at the positive side of the situation; I had to get back to my father and mother and tell them the story. "Matt, I'm going to tell my parents, and I'll round up a few more guys. Keep an eye on Ben."

"Sure thing."

I tipped my hat at Matt, walking out the front door, and mounting on my horse. "Giddy up!" I shouted.

A/n: Oh man. This chapter sucked. It was sort of like a bridge chapter. I just wanted to address the Amelia situation and get the plot moving. Soon, the action will really pick up and I'm sure that the few of you that are reading this will be pleased. Umm, I think I should be updating on a regular basis now. Please review if you're reading. Thank you.

Next update: Wednesday. Yes, I promise to update on that date this time.......


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